One of the series of seven models of trucks and vans that the Marland Oil Co ran in the 1920s. these Chevrolet vans was used to take out the seismograph machines to be used in the search for oil.
As E.W.Marland was to be the leading pioneer in oil exploration, these vans and the equipment would cause quite a stir in those days, none more than to Old Chief White Eagle of the Ponca Indian tribe. I feel sure he would have repeated his statement, as he did to E.W, that looking for oil would be bad medicine, as E.W. did recall in later years, that had White Eagle lived he would have collected all bets.
These trucks and vans are available on the ebay auction site this one cost about 30.dollars and came from appropriately Ponca City.

Some Rivet

Whilst in a long discussion with my work colleague Emma, on a difficult Engineering problem, she just happened to mention that her father-in-law had just returned from a visit to Australia, and whilst there, he had visited the Sidney Harbour Bridge to look at some restoration work in progress, and had brought a rivet back with him.

To her astonishment, I could not contain my excitement!!
Let me tell you a story Emma.

One of the many engineering products of Samuel & Hannah Lees and Sons of Park Bridge Iron Works, Nr Ashton-under-Lyne, was that of rivets to hold enormous structures together. Now, many Marlands lived at the Village of Park Bridge and also worked at the Iron Works.

With a little bit of tongue in cheek I refer to these rivets as Marland rivets, also they are holding the Eiffel tower together, (Some rivets).

Marland Oil of Oklahoma
1929 International Tanker

Number 1 in the series of trucks depicting the history of the Marland Oil Co and Conoco. This tanker is representative of the trucks that plied the countryside in and around Oklahoma in the late 20’s and early 30’s servicing the company’s customers.

 

I was not sure just what to make of these dollar bills, but all came to light on my recent visit to Ponca City, where on meeting up with Pat Martin, I was introduced to Bret Carter, who took me out to see the remains of the Miller brother’s 101 Ranch, in its day was perhaps the most famous ranch in the mid west.

It was here that the early western films were made, and the Miller brothers put on the famous Wild West show. As part of the entrance fee you obtained these dollar bills on entering the show and spent them on just what ever you wanted.

E.W. Marland must have had an eye for publicity, and also being a good friend of the Miller brothers, that he sponsored the cost in return for the Marland name being on the back of the dollar bills.

The Marland Oil Co had the mineral rights to the 101 Ranch; and to give some idea of massive size of the 101 thousand acre ranch, this would cover some sixty square miles!
It was here at Wild West show, that a young ranch hand by the name of Tom Mix was to catch the eye of the Hollywood film Producers, and to become one of the early film super stars. As a youngster living in Blackley, Nr Manchester, Jean and I had a Saturday afternoon treat, that was a visit to cinema, we all booed when the bad men came on and cheered when the goodies came on led by (you guessed it) Tom Mix.

Marland Oil Tin

After many years of collecting Petroleum related items, it was with great excitement that I was able to purchase a Marland Oil Tin, however what intrigued me was the Ford Special logo on the front, on finding a copy of (The Marland Service Man) of 1923 all was revealed:

"For more than a month now all Marland filling stations have carried in stock the latest addition to the Marland line of high-grade lubrication oils, Marland Special Ford Oil, or as it is familiarly known as S.F. In order that this new oil might have an opportunity to demonstrate its value unassisted it was put on sale with absolutely no advertising to herald it or tell why it is superior. So well and instantaneously was it received that most service stations ran out of it before additional orders could be shipped. Dozens of the best Ford agencies of Oklahoma and other states have decided to use and recommend no other oil for Ford cars, and it has become the biggest single seller."

Marland milk bottle. One of my more obscure hobbies is that of collecting milk bottles, I started a small collection of bottles from the farms in Colne. Lancashire. England as they are starting to disappear fast, as the mighty supermarkets take hold, and wean people on to cardboard cartons. To my amazement on looking at eBay some time ago a Marland (K) Dairy half-pint bottle was in their auction. I put my bid in, and was successful. Now the intriguing point is that Marland Dairies are from Cambridge Massachusetts; now does any one have any information on these Marlands or of the dairy? And, by a further coincidence, I visited Cambridge a number of years ago with a former girl friend, totally unaware of the Marland connection.

Once again E-bay turns up great Marland memorabilia